Easterhouse (band)
Encyclopedia
Easterhouse was a British
rock group from the mid- to late-1980s known for jangly guitars and leftist political leaning.
area of Glasgow
, the band was formed in Stretford
, near Manchester by brothers Andy and Ivor Perry, Peter Vanden, Gary Rostock and Michael Murray in the early 1980s. Andy Perry, intrigued by communism
and inspired by Bob Marley
's direct delivery of political content, was invited to join the band in order to improve its lyrical content. Easterhouse played their first gig on 30 August 1983 at Dingwalls in London
as the support band for The Smiths
after Ivor Perry convinced Morrissey
to let them have the opening spot. Their Rough Trade
singles "Whistling In The Dark" and "Inspiration" were both Top 5 independent chart hits. Their energetic first album, Contenders, featuring their signature song, 1969, has been compared to The Chameleons
, New Model Army
, and The Smiths. In July 1986, Easterhouse participated in the Festival of the Tenth Summer
.
After Contenders, Ivor Perry left the band over differences with his brother to form The Cradle
with Rostock and Craig Gannon
a musical contributor to The Smiths. The band had a number 12 UK Independent Chart hit with "It's Too High" in 1987, but the band was put on hold when Johnny Marr
left The Smiths. Perry was considered to replace Marr,
and recorded some new material with the band, including an early version of "Bengali in Platforms
" that was originally intended as the B-side of "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
", and later appeared on Morrissey's first album, Viva Hate
. Perry was uncomfortable with the situation, stating "it was like they wanted another Johnny Marr", and the sessions ended with (according to Perry) "Morrissey running out of the studio". Perry instead resurrected Cradle with new singer Craig Davies
, but when Davies signed a solo deal with Rough Trade Records
, the rest of the band were dropped by the label. The band continued with another singer.
Andy Perry continued with Easterhouse and by the time the album Waiting for the Redbird was released in 1989, he was the sole remaining member of the original line-up. It produced a minor hit "Come Out Fighting" which had significant airplay in the USA and spawned a Justin Strauss remix version of the same song.
Rostock played drums on Buzzcocks
Steve Diggle
's 2000 release Some Reality. He relocated to the Czech Republic
and releases rock and electronic music from the Internet. In 2005 the band got back together for a one off gig. Andy Rourke
(ex-bassist, The Smiths
) played with them.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock group from the mid- to late-1980s known for jangly guitars and leftist political leaning.
Original line-up
- Andy Perry - vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes... - Ivor Perry - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Peter Vanden - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Gary Rostock - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Mike Murray - rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
Other members
- Dave Verner - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Steve Lovell - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Lance Sabin - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Neil TaylorNeil Taylor (guitarist)Neil Taylor is a guitarist best known for his long-time affiliation with Robbie Williams and for formerly being a member of the backing band of Tears for Fears.-Career:...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
3rd incarnation
- Sean Keaney - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Richard Duddle - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Mike Murray - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Drew SmithDrew SmithDrew Smith is a Labour member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow .He was first elected in 2011 and is a former Chair of Scottish Young Labour and former member of the Scottish TUC General Council....
- Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
History
Named after the EasterhouseEasterhouse
Easterhouse is a suburb about east of Glasgow city centre, Scotland. It was partially built on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of a boundary expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. Building began in the mid-1950s by the then local authority, Glasgow Corporation...
area of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, the band was formed in Stretford
Stretford
Stretford is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester, England. Lying on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, it is to the southwest of Manchester city centre, south-southwest of Salford and northeast of Altrincham...
, near Manchester by brothers Andy and Ivor Perry, Peter Vanden, Gary Rostock and Michael Murray in the early 1980s. Andy Perry, intrigued by communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and inspired by Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's direct delivery of political content, was invited to join the band in order to improve its lyrical content. Easterhouse played their first gig on 30 August 1983 at Dingwalls in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as the support band for The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
after Ivor Perry convinced Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
to let them have the opening spot. Their Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
singles "Whistling In The Dark" and "Inspiration" were both Top 5 independent chart hits. Their energetic first album, Contenders, featuring their signature song, 1969, has been compared to The Chameleons
The Chameleons
The Chameleons were an English post-punk band that formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, England in 1981. They consisted of singer and bassist Mark Burgess, guitarist Reg Smithies, guitarist Dave Fielding, and drummer John Lever...
, New Model Army
New Model Army (band)
New Model Army are an English rock band, who were formed in Bradford, West Yorkshire in 1980. They have been variously classified by Allmusic as post-punk and alternative rock.-Overview:...
, and The Smiths. In July 1986, Easterhouse participated in the Festival of the Tenth Summer
Festival of the Tenth Summer
The Festival of the Tenth Summer was a music and art festival that took place in Manchester in July 1986. The festival was organised by Factory Records to 'celebrate Manchester' specifically with reference to the first performance by the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester on 4...
.
After Contenders, Ivor Perry left the band over differences with his brother to form The Cradle
The Cradle
The Cradle is the second full-length album from Oxford, Mississippi, indie-rock band, Colour Revolt. It is the band's first since drummer Len Clark, bassist Patrick Addison, and guitarist Jimmy Cajoleas left in 2008 and were replaced by drummer Daniel Davison, keyboardist Brooks Tipton, and...
with Rostock and Craig Gannon
Craig Gannon
Craig Gannon , is an English guitar player. Previously best known for being the second guitarist in The Smiths, he is now a composer for film and television.-Career:...
a musical contributor to The Smiths. The band had a number 12 UK Independent Chart hit with "It's Too High" in 1987, but the band was put on hold when Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr
Johnny Marr is an English musician and songwriter. Marr rose to fame in the 1980s as the guitarist in The Smiths, with whom he formed a prolific songwriting partnership with Morrissey. Marr has been a member of Electronic, The The, and Modest Mouse...
left The Smiths. Perry was considered to replace Marr,
and recorded some new material with the band, including an early version of "Bengali in Platforms
Bengali in Platforms
"Bengali in Platforms" is a Morrissey song from his debut album Viva Hate. It refers to a Bengali boy who is living in the UK, and trying, but failing, to fit in...
" that was originally intended as the B-side of "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before
-Smiths original:The Smiths' song, written by the usual combination of Morrissey and Johnny Marr, came out on the group's 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come....
", and later appeared on Morrissey's first album, Viva Hate
Viva Hate
Viva Hate is Morrissey's debut solo album, released on 14 March 1988 by HMV Records. The album was considered a very strong foray into Morrissey's solo career, as he utilised his traditional lyrical style and retained the basic sound that The Smiths had developed by the time they broke up. It...
. Perry was uncomfortable with the situation, stating "it was like they wanted another Johnny Marr", and the sessions ended with (according to Perry) "Morrissey running out of the studio". Perry instead resurrected Cradle with new singer Craig Davies
Craig Davies (musician)
Craig Davies is an English singer/songwriter from Manchester, who was active from 1988 to 1990 and release two albums on the Rough Trade music label. He was at one point vocalist for the band Easterhouse but left after signing a solo deal with Rough Trade...
, but when Davies signed a solo deal with Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
, the rest of the band were dropped by the label. The band continued with another singer.
Andy Perry continued with Easterhouse and by the time the album Waiting for the Redbird was released in 1989, he was the sole remaining member of the original line-up. It produced a minor hit "Come Out Fighting" which had significant airplay in the USA and spawned a Justin Strauss remix version of the same song.
Rostock played drums on Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
Steve Diggle
Steve Diggle
Steve Diggle is a guitarist and vocalist in the British punk band Buzzcocks.-Early years:He was born in Manchester, and grew up in Bradford and Rusholme, where he was a mod...
's 2000 release Some Reality. He relocated to the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and releases rock and electronic music from the Internet. In 2005 the band got back together for a one off gig. Andy Rourke
Andy Rourke
Andy Rourke is a bass guitarist best known for being a former member of The Smiths.-Career:...
(ex-bassist, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
) played with them.
Singles
- In Our Own Hands EP (1985) Easterhouse (UKI #13)
- "Whistling In The Dark" (1986) Rough Trade/Columbia (UKI #2)
- "Inspiration" (1986) Rough Trade (UKI #5)
- "Come Out Fighting" (1989) Rough Trade/Columbia (UKI #18)(US #82)
- "You're Gonna Miss It (When It's Gone)" (1989) Rough Trade
Albums
- Contenders (1986) Rough Trade (UKI #3)
- Waiting for the Redbird (1989) Rough Trade/Columbia (UKI #18)